Summary: The letter of assurance to the Palestinian side states the terms of negotiations about the transitional arrangements to affect the peaceful and orderly transfer of authority from Israel to the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. It also stated US opposition to the Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem and its opposition to settlement activity in the West Bank and Gaza.

Letters of Assurances (LOSs) were issued to each party to the Madrid Conference by the United States in mid-October 1991.

The following are several of the main points of the US Letter of Assurance to the Palestinian side:

Palestinian and Israelis must respect each other‘s security, identity and political rights.

We believe that the Palestinians should gain control over political, economic and other decisions that affect them and their fate

The US will seek to avoid any prolongation and stalling by any party. All negotiations should proceed as quickly as possible toward agreement.

The US does not recognize Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem, the extension of Israeli law on it or the extension of Jerusalem‘s municipal boundaries. We encourage all sides to avoid unilateral acts that would exasperate local tensions or make negotiations more difficult or preempt their final outcome.

The US supports the right of Palestinians to bring any issue, including East Jerusalem, to the table. The purpose of negotiations on transitional arrangements is to effect the peaceful and orderly transfer of authority from Israel to Palestinians. Palestinians need to achieve rapid control over political, economic, and other decisions that affect their lives and to adjust to a new situation in which Palestinians exercise authority in the West Bank and Gaza.

Once agreed the interim self-governing arrangements will last for a period of five years. Beginning the third year of the period of interim self-government arrangements, negotiations will take place on permanent status. It is the aim of the United States that permanent status negotiations will be concluded by the end of the transitional period.

The United States has long believed that no party should take unilateral actions that seek to predetermine issues that can only be resolved through negotiations. In this regard the US has opposed and will continue to oppose settlement activity in the territories occupied in 1967, which remain an obstacle to peace.

Document Text

Letters of Assurances (LOSs) were issued to each party to the Madrid Conference by the United States in mid-October 1991.

The following are several of the main points of the US Letter of Assurance to the Palestinian side:

Palestinian and Israelis must respect each other‘s security, identity and political rights.

We believe that the Palestinians should gain control over political, economic and other decisions that affect them and their fate

The US will seek to avoid any prolongation and stalling by any party. All negotiations should proceed as quickly as possible toward agreement.

The US does not recognize Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem, the extension of Israeli law on it or the extension of Jerusalem‘s municipal boundaries. We encourage all sides to avoid unilateral acts that would exasperate local tensions or make negotiations more difficult or preempt their final outcome.

The US supports the right of Palestinians to bring any issue, including East Jerusalem, to the table. The purpose of negotiations on transitional arrangements is to effect the peaceful and orderly transfer of authority from Israel to Palestinians. Palestinians need to achieve rapid control over political, economic, and other decisions that affect their lives and to adjust to a new situation in which Palestinians exercise authority in the West Bank and Gaza.

Once agreed the interim self-governing arrangements will last for a period of five years. Beginning the third year of the period of interim self-government arrangements, negotiations will take place on permanent status. It is the aim of the United States that permanent status negotiations will be concluded by the end of the transitional period.

The United States has long believed that no party should take unilateral actions that seek to predetermine issues that can only be resolved through negotiations. In this regard the US has opposed and will continue to oppose settlement activity in the territories occupied in 1967, which remain an obstacle to peace.